Franklin Templeton has launched Franklin Crypto, a new digital-asset division, and closed its acquisition of 250 Digital, a digital-asset firm. The twin moves, announced Monday, mark the latest push by a traditional asset-management giant into crypto. With more than $1.5 trillion under management, Franklin Templeton's entry signals that institutional embrace of digital assets is no longer a side bet—it's becoming a core offering.
The 250 Digital deal
Franklin Templeton completed its purchase of 250 Digital, a firm that focuses on digital-asset infrastructure and technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition gives Franklin Templeton an in-house team with expertise in blockchain and crypto operations, rather than relying entirely on external service providers. It's the kind of buy that says 'we're building for the long term,' not just dipping a toe in.
Franklin Crypto goes live
The launch of Franklin Crypto creates a dedicated unit for the firm's digital-asset products and services. The division will operate within Franklin Templeton's existing regulatory framework, offering clients a familiar wrapper for an unfamiliar asset class. The timing isn't accidental—this month alone, several large pension funds and endowments have announced allocations to crypto. Franklin Templeton is positioning itself to capture that flow.
Franklin Templeton isn't the first traditional manager to go all-in on crypto—BlackRock launched a spot Bitcoin ETF in 2024, and Fidelity has been expanding its digital-asset arm for years. But Franklin Templeton's move stands out because of its breadth: launching a new division and buying a tech shop at the same time. It's a signal that the stigma around crypto in mainstream finance has faded. The question now is how quickly other large asset managers will follow, and whether they'll build, buy, or partner.
